Rapture
by mkay2
Summary: All angels and demons know of Thalia and Percy, twin fallen angels. One fell because of love, and the other fell because of hate. Now, they serve the Dark One. Annabeth is an angel, and serves the Almighty. Annabeth and Percy are on two different sides of the fight as Armaggedon grows closer. Only one side can win: light or dark.
1. Chapter One

**Chapter One: Percy**

**x x x**

Perseus Jackson took a long drag of the cigarette dangling between his fingers, his dark emerald green eyes moving lazily around the run-down Georgia motel room. He reclined farther on the itchy couch, resting a hand behind his head, entwining it through his dark hair. From the next room, a light snoring could be heard. Try as he might, Percy couldn't remember her name, but he didn't even try to care. The poor girl sleeping in the other room was just one on a long list of conquests.

Percy stood and rolled his shoulders, causing his pitch-black wings to unfurl slightly. Each individual feather was the darkest shade of black imaginable, but shined in the light like they were soaked in oil. Absent-mindedly, the immortal being reached behind him and scratched his back, directly in between the two appendages. He shook them out, sending a couple small feathers floating to the ground. As soon as they made even the slightest contact with the tacky carpet, they immediately sparked, burning away, leaving no evidence that a feather had ever been there at all.

Percy stroked a mark on his wrist: a pentagram, burned into his skin like it was branded there with hot iron. It was burned into his skin, but not with iron. It appeared when he fell.

Percy was an immortal; a fallen angel to be more exact. You could call him a demon, but that wasn't exactly true. The demons and fallen angels were similar beings and had the same features: wings, dark eyes, a dead-like complexion with dark hair and eyes, and certain powers over the realm of the Dark One, but while demons were born into the dark, the fallen angels were born as light and had turned to the dark side. The only way to tell between the two was through the brand. The Almighty marked the fallen angels with the pentagram as a sign to all the other angels.

It wasn't his fault he'd fallen. Percy couldn't help what he did. How was he to know that falling in love with a mortal was forbidden? He was in Arizona, tracking a demon on the orders of his superiors, but he wound up in the Hoover Dam, with multiple demons on his tail in a strange turn of events. That's where he met _her. _Rachel Elizabeth Dare.

She was the first mortal that made Percy actually _feel _something. Angels didn't have souls; they couldn't feel love, or hate, or spite, or sadness. They were pure goodness and obedience. But the first time he caught sight of the girl who he affectionately called 'Red'- for her initials and her vibrant hair color- he couldn't help but feel alive for the first time, and he craved it. In his eyes, she was the most gorgeous mortal he'd ever seen: big green eyes, lighter than his own, her naturally red hair in shoulder-length, wide ringlets, her button nose covered in freckles matching her hair… He followed her back to New York City, not able to help himself. They became friends, and later, lovers. It lasted a bitterly short time. As always, the Almighty caught wind of what his angel was doing with the mortal. In the end, Rachel was killed by demons, and Percy was banished from Heaven.

Percy had lost everything. He'd lost Rachel, he'd been cast out of Heaven, he'd lost all of his companions- Reyna, Hylla, Jason, Grover, and Hazel.

So, yeah. He was bitter. He had a little bit of a vendetta. He had no problem carrying out the Dark One's commands, which generally included the brutal slaughter of mortal sinners or the attack of the Almighty's angels.

"Your senses are getting dull, Perce," a voice said from the shadows, causing Percy to whip around. His dual katanas appeared in his hands.

When he caught sight of who was leaned up against the wall, he relaxed, letting his weapons vanish. "Oh, it's you."

"Don't sound so happy to see us," Leo snorted. Leo was a demon, younger than Percy, but he'd been kind- as kind as a demon could be- to the fallen angel after his exile. The immortal was short, with tanned skin and black eyes and black curly hair. He had a pointy nose and ears that kind of made him look like a demonic elf. He strode forward clapping Percy on the shoulder. "Nice to see _you, _I guess."

Percy rolled his eyes, but smirked a bit at Leo. "You here with orders?"

"Yeah," the other demon spoke up: Nico. He was older than both Percy and Leo by at least double Percy's age and quadruple Leo's. His black hair was shaggy and hung into his pitch black eyes, which contrasted sharply with his pallid white skin. He wore a black leather jacket and skull t-shirt. "There's some angels in the area, and I got orders that we need to take care of them. In the words of the Dark One: 'Under no circumstances can you fail'. They're looking for some artifact. We need to get it instead."

"It's a serious one, then," Percy said in surprise.

Nico nodded wordlessly, but then added, "Thalia and Clarisse are coming too."

"Great," Percy muttered.

Clarisse was a demon, too, around Percy's age. Ever since he met her, they'd been enemies. Clarisse resented all types of angels, and that included fallen angels. She accepted Percy, since he was allied with the same master as she was, but that didn't mean she had to like him.

Thalia was a fallen angel too, Percy's twin sister. Well, immortals didn't exactly have siblings, since they were created, not born, but immortals born around the same time were generally referred to as siblings. Percy and Thalia were created together at the same time, so everyone referred to them as twins.

Unlike Percy, who'd fallen because of love, Thalia had fallen because of hate. She hated the way the mortals lived, especially the men, and the Almighty could not allow such a bitter immortal to continue being an angel. Thalia and Percy had fallen at the same time, creating the craters of Clearwater East and Clearwater West in Canada.

Thalia, Clarisse, Percy, and Nico were all part of a council of the Dark One's most loyal and powerful supporters. Apart from themselves, there was also Luke, Ethan, and Bianca (Nico's sister). They were called the Sins, and each member represented one of the Seven Deadly Sins. It didn't always necessarily meant that the 'patron' would have that trait abundantly, but every demon knew that the Dark One had a reason he handed out the assignments to each angel, and everyone knew why Percy had become lust.

Leo chuckled. "Sorry, dude."

Percy shook his head. There was nothing he could do about it now, so he might as well deal with it. "Where are the angels now?"

"The Chickamauga Battlefield," Nico answered, his face darkening.

**x x x**

"So, do you have any clue what this artifact is?" Percy called over to Nico as they soared through the air. Unlike Percy and Thalia who had bird wings, Nico (as well as Leo and Clarisse) had bat-like wings. That was another difference between fallen angels and demons.

Nico shrugged and shook his head in unison. "I have a general understanding of its purpose, but not what it looks like."

Percy waited for an explanation, but received none. He raised his eyebrows. "Yes…?" he prodded the stoic demon.

Nico shook his head again. "I can't say too much. I don't _know _too much. But I do know that this artifact will help to tip the balance between light and dark when the time comes."

Percy exhaled. "If the angels were sent to receive it, that's an aggressive move on Heaven's part."

Thalia cackled from her spot underneath Percy. She swooped up in front of the group and twirled around, her wings angled perfectly to control her movements. It took many, many years to learn how to fly so proficiently. "So the peaceful angels want to start a war. Anybody else see the irony in this?"

Nobody laughed with her. There was silence apart from breathing and the beating of wings. All of the demons seemed to be lost in their own thoughts.

"'Demons run when a good man goes to war'," Nico mumbled under his breath.

Percy turned to look at him. He was the only one who'd heard the quiet immortal speak. "What did you say?" he wondered, not sure if he'd heard Nico right. It was a strange thing to say, in Percy's opinion, but he felt a stirring of emotion in his gut when he heard it. Well, maybe not _emotion, _per se, since immortals are created without any emotions apart from obedience, as well as wickedness for demons and kindness for angels. Sometimes, in specific scenarios, immortals can feel other emotions, but they're duller than humans. Instead of misery, immortals would feel mild sadness. Instead of happiness, immortals would feel somewhat content. Anyway, the quote was thought-provoking for Percy.

Nico shook his head, eyes widened as he realized that someone had heard him. "Nothing, it's nothing. Just something I heard while watching television one day. Forget about it."

Percy considered what Nico had said, though. _Demons run when a good man goes to war. _A slight smile formed on his face as he remembered what that used to be like.

**x x x**

_Percy stared down at the battlefield, watching his comrades fight off the demon force best they could. To his right stood the Almighty. While she had no particular form, only a humanoid form of pure light energy, Percy could tell that she was worried about the way the fight was progressing. Their side had powerful immortals, but the demons were being led by two of the Sins: Kronos, the Sin of pride, and Luke, the Sin of envy. _

_Both possessed fighting abilities that were unmatched by any other fighter. No angel could touch them. _

_Percy's adrenaline was pumping. He wanted to be _there, _in the battle, fighting for his brethren and his creator. He grasped his sword hilt tightly in his hand, preparing to remove it from its scabbard at a moment's notice. The Almighty had said that if the battle went poorly, she'd send in Percy. This battle was definitely going poorly. _

_The Almighty stiffened as another angel fell. She sighed. This could no longer be allowed to continue. The angels would be slaughtered if it kept going like this. "Perseus," She said lightly. Her voice was soft and angelic, every bit the creator that she was, but there was an undertone of harshness. Percy waited, chomping at the bit, for the command. "Go." _

_And he went. Spreading his majestic white wings, the archangel flew down from the Heavens to the battlefield, appearing above the fighters in a shower of light. He could see the way those around him reacted to his presence: the angels smiled in relief- they were saved- while the demons flinched while they were confronted with the intimidating and overwhelming aura of one of the Trinity. Above them was Perseus, the archangel, who had filled the seat of the Protector when the first archangel, Michael, had fallen. His foam green eyes narrowed as his gaze locked on to the two Sins. _

_He charged them, the sword he'd inherited from his predecessor Michael glinting brightly from the glow he was emanating. Kronos' and Luke's eyes widened as the all-powerful archangel approached. _

**x x x**

"Demons run when a good man goes to war," Percy whispered, his tone unreadable. He wasn't sure why today of all days he decided to be nostalgic- he hadn't thought too much about his time in Heaven since… well, since his time in Heaven. Now, he wasn't sure if he felt sorrow, anger, or just plain indifference as he looked back on his past.

Nico smacked the back of Percy's head, making his head snap forward against his chest. Percy glared at the demon.

"Quit being a fucking moron," Nico ordered, returning the glare. "Get your head out of the past."

Percy rolled his eyes, but made an effort to quirk up the corners of his mouth in a smirk. "Only if you stop being a goth asshole."

Nico growled.

**x x x **

_revised on aug 23, 2014 _

_disclaimer: i do not own percy jackson. _

_characters might be a little ooc, but it was necessary to fit the story. also, the language is a bit more mature since i figured that demons would swear like sailors. if you don't like swearing… sorry. _

_review!_


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two: Annabeth**

**x x x**

Annabeth knelt down and touched the grass of the field. It was a large space with no one in sight, thanks to the 'persuasion' of her companions, Jason, Piper, Frank, and Grover. She rubbed a hand against her pale face, moving it up to run it through her honey blonde curls. Jason stood at her shoulder, his arms crossed, staring out at the battlefield as if he expected someone to attack them. Annabeth wouldn't be surpruised. The Almighty had warned them to be careful, something that was rarely said. The last time an angel got that warning, it was torn to pieces.

Jason was one of the older angels, and was close to members of the Almighty's inner circle. Annabeth didn't understand why he chose angels like her as his companions, but she was glad. Because of her youth and inexperience, it was nice to have someone around who knew what he was doing. The angel was tall and muscular, and his ice blue eyes could freeze a person in their tracks. He had corn-blonde hair and light skin. His white wings curled around his body, protecting himself from potential threats. Annabeth's own wings were slightly extended behind her, serving as a shield, but also tucked back enough to be out of the way.

Annabeth fingered her bow, which was slung over her shoulder. Her golden quiver hung from her back. She preferred to use a dagger, but she decided that for this mission, a bow and arrows would be more effective. She still had her golden dagger strapped to her thigh, though.

"Do you see any signs of the artifact?" Jason questioned quietly.

Annabeth shook her head. "I can sense a disturbance here. I can't tell where."

Annabeth, Jason, Piper, Hazel, Frank, and Grover had been sent to the Chickamauga Battlefield to find an artifact that, according to the Almighty, was vitally important. Annabeth couldn't help but feel a swell of pride in her chest as she thought of how _she _had been chosen for such an important mission. Well, she _was _one of the best light manipulators in Heaven. She couldn't fight very well, but she could use the ability belonging to all angels of controlling the heavenly light emitted by the Almighty and Heaven to do different tasks especially well. Here, she was using the light to find the artifact. All around her, there were wispy trails of sparkling mist- the heavenly light. As Annabeth's hands and fingers bent and twisted, the light formed different shapes, twirling and circling across the battlefield, searching for the targeted object.

"Hurry up," Frank called. "We don't have much time." The angel was ethnically Chinese, but that didn't mean much in Heaven. An angel could have any appearence, and no discrimination existed. The body of an angel was a shell. Frank had closely cropped dark hair- a color that was strange for an angel- and light brown eyes. His skin was snow pale. He was tall and extremely muscular. He held a longsword in two hands, his wings tight against his back and his muscles taught, preparing for a fight.

At his side was his companion, Hazel. Her light tan skin and caramel colored hair contrasted sharply with her stark white wings. She was younger than Annabeth, in both appearence and age. Her caramel colored eyes flicked around the clearing nervously. This was her first important mission. In her hands she clutched tightly a golden spatha. She hovered around her companion, looking to the more experienced Frank for guidance and protection.

For angels, companionship was a form of what humans called matrimony, with a few drastic changes. Rather than having a husband and wife relationship, two angel companions were seen as a pair of loving souls. Their relationship was entirely based on companionship and affection rather than lust and passion. It was kind of beautiful to see, and Annabeth was envious of her friends that had companions.

Like Jason, whose companion, Piper, was currently watching the North side of the battlefield with another of the angels, Grover. Piper was Native American in appearence, with light tan skin, light brown hair with choppy layers, and sharp cheekbones, jaw, chin, and nose. Her eyes shined a multitude of different colors. She stood tall and proud as she watched diligently for threats.

Grover, however, looked like a bundle of nerves. He was slumped over in a pose that clearly read: _'I'm not a threat! Don't kill me!' _The angel had curly red hair paired with a goatee at the end of his long chin. He was extremely skinny, which made his elbows and knees look huge. His long limbs gave him his own unique walking style. His fingers were tight around his crossbow.

Annabeth huffed in frustration. "I can't find it!"

Jason put a hand on her shoulder. "Concentrate, Annabeth. You can do it. I know you can."

Breathing out, Annabeth squeezed her eyes shut, using her immortal powers to try and locate the source of the disturbance. Something immortal had interfered here, definitely, but Annabeth needed to find where. Finally, she locked onto a location: one of the stone monuments. "There." She pointed.

"Great, Annabeth," Jason said, flashing her an appreciative smile as he spread his wings and flew over to the spot she'd indicated.

Annabeth smiled in triumph, glad that she hadn't failed the Almighty. She wasn't paying enough attention- that's why she didn't notice the throwing star flying at her that embedded itself in her back.

**x x x**

There must have been some sort of spell on the throwing star, because it hurt like hell (Somewhere, in the back of her mind, Annabeth laughed at the pun). The blonde angel was immediately on alert, tucking her wings around her protectively and notching a golden arrow. She turned in the direction that the weapon had come from, where five figures were emerging from the trees. From the black wings attatched to their backs and their dark complexions and outfits, Annabeth could tell that they were demons or fallen angels.

Annabeth prepared for them to attack again, but they kept approaching- another ten, twenty, thirty feet closer, until they were in a line facing Annabeth, who had been joined by Jason, Piper, Frank, Hazel, and Grover.

She scanned over the demons. The two in the center were the famous fallen angel twins: Percy and Thalia. They were well-known in Heaven. Angels scoffed at the fact that while one twin fell for love, the other had fallen for its opposite- hate. It was even more of a big deal since Percy had been one of the Trinity at the time: three angels that were the Almighty's closest supporters. He'd even been the immediate successor for the archangel Michael. At the time, it had been Percy, Raphael, and Hylla. Percy, the Protector, Raphael, the Healer, and Hylla, the Messenger. After Percy's fall, Hylla took his seat, and Hylla's seat was taken by Annabeth's brother, Malcolm. Raphael, who faded soon after, was replaced by Hylla's sister, Reyna. The new Trinity tried to restore its former prestige, but it was a hard task when one of their very own members had fallen to the Dark One's temptations.

Percy and Thalia were both tall and lithe, with pale skin, dark, brooding stares, and messy dark hair. Thalia's was short and spiky, down to her chin, while Percy's was shorter and messier. Percy had dark emerald eyes, while Thalia had midnight blue. Both wore all black clothing: Thalia wore some mortal metal band t-shirt and heavily distressed skinny jeans and combat boots while Percy wore a black t-shirt under a leather jacket with jeans and combat boots. Percy had his dual katanas drawn, and looked like he was poised for a fight. Thalia twirled her spear between her fingers, and she had a black shield strapped to her back.

Annabeth could feel the emerald gaze scanning over her face, possibly trying to figure out who she was. If he knew what Malcolm looked like, it wouldn't be hard for the demon to figure out who Annabeth was. That wasn't a good thing- all immortals knew that, despite the irrationality of it, Percy hated Malcolm with a passion, as he was the one to replace him in the Trinity. There was no doubt that Percy would take his anger out on Annabeth.

Annabeth recognized another demon, another member of The Sins, the patron of wrath: Nico. He was old, even older than Jason. He glared at the angels before him murderously with sunken black eyes. His own dual shortswords hung casually at his sides, as if the angels in front of him weren't a concern.

The other one to his left was Clarisse, the patron of greed of the Sins. She was a tall, tan, muscular girl with straight russet hair pulled back in a professional ponytail. Her dark brown eyes glinted wickedly as she brandished a great sword the size of Hazel. A multitude of weapons were strapped to her body.

The other demon Annabeth didn't recognize. He looked like a Latino elf with a pointy, mischevious face and a dark complexion. With his powerful company, he was easily overlooked.

"Begone, Demons," Jason commanded, taking control. He brandished his golden gladius to back up his order. "You have no business here."

Smirks appeared on Percy, Thalia, and Clarisse's faces. A full-blown grin appeared on the Latino demon's face, while Nico remained impassive.

"I believe we do," Percy said slyly. Thalia chuckled, leaning against Percy with an elbow on his shoulder to keep herself propped up. Her midnight blue eyes twinkled wickedly as she looked at the angels before her.

Annabeth couldn't help but eye the pair of katanas Percy held in his hands. Percy had been known for being the best fighter in Heaven. Of course he was- after all, he had filled the seat of Michael, the Protector, a position given only to the most powerful angel most capable of defending Heaven. Thalia, Clarisse, and Nico, along with Percy, were all part of the Sins, and their fighting skills would also be formidable. The Latino Annabeth knew nothing about, which made him dangerous, but if his company was any indication, he would be a good fighter. Facing them, even with Jason, was daunting.

Thalia played around with her spear as she snickered. "Thanks for finding the artifact for us, by the way. We really appreciate you doing all the hard work. I really hate work. It's _exhausting._"

"You're not going to get it," Annabeth spoke up for the first time, jutting out her chin and standing tall, much to the demons' amusement.

"And who's going to stop us, Doll?" Percy drawled, full-blown smirk evident on his face as he looked Annabeth up and down. "_You?_"

Annabeth stared defiantly at the demon. She wasn't sure if she could win this battle, but she would sure as heck die trying. Well- immortals didn't _really_ die, not exactly. They did _die, _but afterwards, as far as anyone knew, they would no longer exist. They didn't have a human soul that could move on to the afterlife. Immortals referred to it as _fading. _

"We'll give you one last warning," Jason interrupted their stare down. "Leave, or we'll make you."

The demons seemed to consider this, but Annabeth knew it was a joke to them.

"Eh… nah," Thalia said finally, grinning wickedly.

And the two sides sprung into action, meeting in a flurry of clashing of metal.

**x x x**

Annabeth knew that she was screwed when Percy charged her. Nico and Thalia both charged Jason, with Grover stepping up to help him. The Latino Elf attacked Hazel, while Clarisse went for Piper.

That was all that Annabeth could think of before she was overwhelmed, completely focusing on protecting herself. She could _fight, _but not against someone like Percy. She gave up on trying to use her bow and arrows, but instead used her bow by itself to block Percy's katanas. He landed a few lucky shots on Annabeth, cutting her cheek and shoulder, but Annabeth managed to pull an arrow from her quiver and lodge it in his collarbone. He roared in pain before attacking with renewed vigor.

Annabeth didn't stand a chance. Within a minute, she had a katana through her stomach. Percy had one hand on her shoulder and the other clutching the weapon currently impaling her. Annabeth was currently putting all her weight on the demon. Her chin rested on his shoulder, and she slumped forward so that her torso was resting on his. Percy's head was directly next to hers, and Annabeth could feel his breath on her face, which caused her to shudder. She hated this position, slumped over onto the fallen angel, but she had a blade through her stomach. There wasn't much she could do.

"Just admit it: you couldn't stop me, Sweetheart," Percy breathed in her ear. His words were soft, but had a vicious bite to them. Annabeth shuddered as she felt his warm breath on her face again. It smelled like cigarettes and alcohol. "Valiant effort, though."

Annabeth managed to spit out through gritted teeth, "You can go screw yourself."

Percy chuckled darkly, moving his body even closer to the angel's on top of him. His lips touched Annabeth's cheek lightly, making her squirm with disgust. "I'd mush rather prefer it if you did instead." He tilted his head closer towards Annabeth's, his tounge tracing a line along the edge of her earlobe and down the beginning of her jaw. He bit down sharply on her neck, causing Annabeth to grit her teeth at the pain and struggle more.

"I see now why you're the patron of Lust," Annabeth snarled. "It really suits you."

Percy stiffened under her, his aura shifting. Annabeth could tell that she'd angered him. She hoped that he'd stop touching her. Even getting stabbed was better than… whatever this was.

Percy chuckled darkly. "I think lust would suit you, also," he breathed, his head ducking to Annabeth's neck. "Should we find out?" He closed his lips around Annabeth's neck, his teeth digging into her skin again.

Annabeth shuddered in disgust at his touch. It burned where he'd touched, but not like she'd heard things like kisses and love bites were supposed to: instead, it felt like a fiery pit of hate and loathing. She didn't understand how someone who used to be one of the highest angels in all of Heaven had become… _this._

_"Get away from her!"_

Annabeth was never so happy to hear Grover's voice in her life. At his yell, Percy growled, but pulled away from her, letting her slide from her spot leaning on his shoulder to the ground. He pulled out his katana from her stomach, making her shriek in pain.

Percy looked down at Annabeth, his eyes predatory, before turning and smirking at Grover. He looked sideways at Thalia, who was dangling a gaudy ornamental necklace emblazoned with the largest diamond Annabeth had ever seen. The monument was in shards scattered around the demon's feet. _The demons have the artifact. They'd lost._

"Let's get outta here," the fallen angel grinned.

All five demons spread their midnight wings and took into the sky. Annabeth felt her body being jostled as her bow and arrows were taken. Piper sent multiple arrows in quick succession up at the retreating demons, landing a few on the Latino and Clarisse, who moved to protect Thalia and the artifact in her hands, but not enough to stop them. None of them was in good enough condition to pursuit. All the angels could do was stare up at the demons bitterly.

They turned back to Annabeth and Jason, both of whom were wounded. Piper went immediately to Jason, while Grover and Hazel helped Annabeth. Frank hovered awkwardly.

Using their powers, the angels were able to heal Jason and at least stabilize Annabeth.

"We've got to go," Grover said grimly, spreading his wings. "She's not doing well."

Frank gathered Annabeth in his arms. With that, the angels took of wordlessly and grimly. None of them wanted to be the one to tell the Almighty that they had failed.

**x x x**

_edited aug 23, 2014_

_disclaimer: i do not own percy jackson_

_please review!_


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three: Percy**

**x x x**

"We got it!" Thalia crowed, waving the pendant around jubilantly.

"Hey, hey, hey, watch it!" Nico yelled, pulling arrows from his feathers. "I got an arrow in the wing for that! Besides, if you drop it, the Dark One will kill you."

Percy pulled the arrow out of his chest too, where the angel bitch had stabbed him. Admittedly, she got the worst of that encounter, but he was still pissed off. Well, anyway, he still got a little bit of fun out of it. He laughed to himself. The blonde angel really was no match for him, it was almost pathetic. If the Almighty hoped to best the forces of the Dark One, She'd have to do better than _that. _

There was a strange shift in light, and a black vortex appeared in front of them. The first time he'd seen this trick, Percy had been terrified, but now, he flew directly into the black hole. It was the way The Dark One summoned his followers.

Percy emerged into darkness, like he always did. He couldn't see anything, but as an immortal being of hell, he had some sort of awareness of his surroundings. He could sense the vast amount of area surrounding him, its vast emptiness. He and his companions were the only ones in the entire area. He could tell exactly where each of them were, even though he couldn't hear or see them.

This was hell. It wasn't what most people pictured. When people thought of hell, they generally pictured a great inferno with sweltering temperatures and demon torturers. Instead, it was an empty pit where souls were tortured by eternal nothing. Percy hadn't understood why it worked at first, but he knew now. Eternal nothing… that seemed like the worst curse of all.

A powerful presence appeared in front of the five demons. The presence was so powerful that all of the demons swayed, unconsciously drawn towards the sheer gravity of the figure.

"My Lord," Percy said reverently, taking a knee and putting a hand on his chest. His friends copied his movements.

The figure was only made of smoke, compressed into a humanoid form. He had no eyes, but he seemed to study his followers. "You have succeeded."

"Yes," Percy confirmed, showing as little emotion as his master.

"The Light's forces were not able to challenge us," Thalia said haughtily. She held up the necklace as a testament to her statement.

Percy scowled in irritation. How could she be so stupid- especially right in front of the Dark One? "Don't get complacent, Thalia. We had four members of The Sins, and they had none of their Trinity there. If Reyna or Hylla had been there- and, fine, even Malcolm, the fucker- things would've been different." Percy and Malcolm'd had bad blood between them ever since Malcolm had replaced Percy. Percy knew that Malcolm wasn't to blame, he still targeted the younger angel. They'd developed a rivalry over the years, but it was widely acknowledged that Malcolm was outmatched. Percy gritted his teeth. "It took two of you to take on that angel Jason, and his companions could definitely become a threat with time."

Percy could sense Thalia rolling her eyes even in the dark. "Whatever, Perce. We'll keep training, and we'll be ready for them. They'll never be a match for us."

"You should be taking this more seriously," Nico spoke up suddenly. His aura in Hell was so much more amplified, having been born a demon and having been alive for many, many millenia. "Percy is the only one with the right mindset."

"Hey!" Thalia, Clarisse, and Leo all protested.

"Just because I didn't say anything doesn't mean I'm not in the right mindset!" Clarisse snarled.

Percy scowled dangerously. "Enough." It was bad form to argue in front of the Dark One, even if their master prized emotions such as rage and hate. "This is childish." He snatched the pendant from Thalia's hand and held it out to his superior. "Here is the artifact as you requested, my Lord."

Percy stared up at the one he had sworn his allegiance to, his eyes dead of any emotion. This was the true purpose of an immortal: to serve. Emotions were useless. They only got in the way of fulfilling duties. He'd learned that the hard way.

The Dark One stared down at his fallen angel soundlessly for what seemed an eternity. Behind him, Percy could hear Clarisse, Thalia, and Leo shifting anxiously.

"Keep it," The Dark One finally said in a thoughtful voice that quickly became crueller and harsher. "I am entrusting you with this with the expectation that you will not lose it."

Percy's head snapped up to look at his master, eyes wide and lips clamped together. His lips were white from the force he was exerting to prevent himself from screaming. His whole body tensed. He could sense the shock of Thalia, Clarisse, Leo, and even Nico behind him, along with their worry. Being gifted something by the Dark One meant that he was giving you special attention, and being given special attention by the Dark One meant certain death. It was shown clearly throughout history, first with a demon named Ouranos, then with a demon named Kronos. Both had been utterly destroyed. Now, Percy was the one receiving special attention. Every demon present knew what that meant: Percy was dead.

If he could, Percy would've refused, but that meant certain death as well. The Dark One would smite him in a heartbeat, and if he somehow managed to avoid that, he'd have both angels and demons trying to kill him. The only option was to reach out and take the necklace the Dark One was offering. So why wasn't his hand moving-?

It took all of Percy's strength to force himself to reach out and close his fingers around the cool golden chain of the necklace. He clutched it tightly in trembling fingers, looking down at the symbol of his impending doom with hatred.

He forced himself to lower the chain around his neck, letting the heavy pendant rest on his clavicle. Despite its cool texture, Percy couldn't help but feel like it was burning into his skin.

It was the mark of a dead man.

**x x x**

Now, he and Thalia were sitting across from one another in a small, dark restaurant & bar in Tennessee. Neither was saying much. Percy was staring off into the distance, while Thalia nursed a bottle of vodka. Once in a while, her gaze would land on the ruby of Percy's necklace.

His friends (if you could call them that. More like 'people that I hate less than the rest') didn't say much about it, just acted as if nothing had happened, which Percy appreciated. If they'd been sympathetic, he'd have snapped at them for pitying him, but if they'd told him to man up, he'd have snapped at them for not pitying him enough.

To add insult to injury, the necklace was ugly as fuck. It was old and gaudy, no doubt inspired by the Victorian era- or perhaps it was from the Victorian era. When it comes to immortals, you can never be sure. For all Percy knew, it could be one of those knock-off trinkets sold by convenience stores. The main part of the necklace was a diamond the size of a golf ball, framed by gold swirls. It hung on a thick gold chain that reminded Percy of the jewelry he'd seen pimps wear.

"You okay?" Thalia asked finally. Percy knew that she didn't care either way. They were creatures of hell, they couldn't give a shit about how other people were feeling, but Thalia was asking him as a 'sisterly' gesture. Percy wasn't sure if he appreciated it ("she cares enough about me to pretend that she cares") or if he was irritated at Thalia's obvious pretending. "I know something's wrong. You're not drinking or flirting. Generally you'd be all over that brunette by the weird cowboy statue who's currently glancing over at you every couple seconds."

Percy grunted. "Not interested tonight."

"That's new," Thalia smirked, but it didn't reach her eyes. "You aren't living up to your role, now, are you?"

"Just because I'm the patron of Lust doesn't mean I'm only going to think about stuff like that," Percy snorted. "You don't walk around thinking about revenge all the time, do you?"

"Eh, more like murder, but the idea's the same," Thalia corrected happily. A young man behind her who'd overheard quickly ushered his friends away from their table.

Percy rolled his eyes. "I'm not even surprised." He should have realized that Thalia wouldn't exactly be the most understanding. He'd watched her transform before his eyes from angel into bloodthirsty demon. Then again, he'd changed, too.

Thalia didn't answer, she just lifted her bottle to her lips and chugged the remaining alcohol. The amount she drank was enough to send a mortal to the hospital, but it took a lot more to do any damage to a mortal, especially a demon. Angels could tolerate alcohol, but demons seemed to be able to drink the equivalent of the Atlantic Ocean before they got drunk.

"I don't know if I should care," Percy said finally, locking eyes with his sister.

Thalia froze, her electric blue eyes surveying Percy carefully. He could tell from her expression that she knew exactly what he was talking about. He didn't know if he should care whether or not he would die or live.

Neither said anything. It wasn't as if Thalia could convince Percy that his life meant something, or that he had some purpose for living, because no matter how hard she tried, Percy's viewpoint just wasn't the same. She lived for the purpose of serving the Dark One, but Percy served the Dark One since he didn't have any other choice. He couldn't serve Heaven, and he had a bit of a grudge, so he'd sided with Hell. She couldn't exactly say that 'it gets better' or 'your existence means something' because Percy knew that nothing would change and his existence would be just as useless as it always had been.

All he did was cause people misery, and while he could definitely enjoy that, there really wasn't a purpose to it. When he was an angel, he felt like he was doing something meaningful. Now, as a demon, all he'd done was hurt people. In the back of his mind, Percy wondered what Red would think of him now…

_No, I can't think like that, _Percy reminded himself. _That part of my life is done. I'm a demon now, and that will never change. Red is never coming back._

Percy rolled his eyes and slapped his hand down on the table. Under his hand, a crisp (fake) twenty dollar bill materialized. He rubbed his face tiredly. He wished that he could shut his brain off for even a little bit. "I'm leaving." He thought about telling Thalia not to do anything stupid, but thought better of it. This was Thalia. Of course she would do something stupid.

"Just hide the evidence," he told her finally. "I don't want to have to be on cleanup duty again, got it?"

Thalia snorted. "Shut up, asswipe."

Percy left, not bothering to retort and start a fight. He wasn't in the mood. His necklace felt like it was choking him.

**x x x **

_edited aug 24, 2014_

_disclaimer: i do not own percy jackson. _

_review! _


	4. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four: Annabeth **

**x x x**

Annabeth kept her gaze fixed on the floor and a hand on her bandaged torso as Jason explained to the Almighty and the Trinity what had happened. She couldn't bear to lift her eyes and see the disappointment on the Almighty's face.

Her injuries were serious, but not fatal. Annabeth was still angry, though. She was so _weak. _She had bruises all over her body, as well as gashes on her face. Her back was torn up from the throwing star, which not only had double blades, but had ridged edges meant to inflict even more damage. The stab wound she'd gotten from Percy wasn't pretty either. Normally, angels weren't too concerned about their injured brethren, especially since immortals healed so quickly, but once news spread that Annabeth had been brutally attacked by none other than Perseus, the fallen trinity member, sympathy accumulated fast.

After Jason finished their story, there was a period of silence. Annabeth waited for the inevitable scolding.

All that came, however, was a _'hmmm'._

Annabeth dared to look up, and was surprised to see that the Almighty only seemed to be contemplating. She did not seem to be disappointed…

"Well, I assume that this was inevitable," She said finally. "Fighting against half of the Sins… It's a wonder that you made it back." She didn't say it, but Annabeth knew that there was a hidden message tacked on to the end of the statement: _Especially you, Annabeth._ "I am grateful that you are here safe. Now, we can regroup for our counterattack."

She rose from her throne, her humanoid form glowing brightly. "Hylla, with me."

The Almighty began to move out of the throne room, followed by a member of the Trinity: Hylla. The angel was tall and lithe, with light olive colored skin and long, caramel colored hair. Her hazel eyes scanned the angels before her, her expression calculating and wary. Her gaze seemed to linger on Annabeth, then on her stomach wound, before she turned on her heel and followed the Almighty. Hylla was the Protector of the Trinity. There was the Protector, like the Archangel Michael, the Healer, like the Archangel Raphael, and the Messenger, like the Archangel Gabriel. All three had faded millenia ago, so their vacant seats were filled with other angels. There was Reyna, the Healer, Malcolm, the Messenger, and Hylla, the Protector. Originally, Percy had filled the seat of the Protector, but positions were exchanged when he fell.

"That… wasn't what I expected," Hazel murmured quietly, still waiting to be reprimanded. "The Almighty didn't seem upset at all."

Nobody responded, but it was understood that all of them were in agreement.

"Annabeth," a voice called from the far side of the throne room. Annabeth turned to the voice, which happened to belong to her brother, Malcolm, another member of the Trinity. He filled the seat of The Messenger. "Could I speak with you?"

Annabeth bowed her head in agreement and went to join her brother. They weren't biological siblings; no immortal had DNA, so they technically couldn't be related to _anyone. _Instead, angels or demons created at the same time were called siblings.

Malcolm definitely looked similar to Annabeth, even if they weren't biologically related, a trait that was common in siblings, because the Almighty liked to create siblings who had similar appearances. Both Annabeth and Malcolm had light grey eyes, light skin, and honey colored hair. While Malcolm's was cropped short, Annabeth's was long and styled in ringlets that were freely tousled.

Malcolm led her to a small chamber adjacent to the throne room.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly.

Annabeth shrugged, then winced. "Not especially. My pride is a little wounded. I was no match for him."

Malcolm shook his head. "You're not expected to be. Percy's in a league of his own." His voice was full of bitterness, but Annabeth also sensed a sense of grudging admiration. "But… I think I can help you."

Annabeth's eyes widened and she straightened.

"I could train you, if you wanted. I'm not as good as Percy, not by a long shot, but maybe with some training you'd have a better chance," Malcolm said slowly.

Annabeth shot over to her brother and hugged him as tightly as her injury would allow. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Malcolm allowed a rare smile to appear on his face. "We'll start at first light."

**x x x**

Malcolm was brutal. Though Annabeth was still injured, her brother wasn't afraid to push her to her limits, banging her up in the process. By the end of the first session, Annabeth's fair skin was littered with black and blue marks and lines of red. One of her eyes was swollen shut, and she limped becuase of a cut on her ankle. She could feel blood trickling from her nose and from the corner of her mouth, but it hurt too much to move and clean it off.

She had refused to let any other angel see her in that state, so she went down to earth. She wanted to find a hospital, but that would only cause more problems. The best she could do was wander she streets until she found somewhere to clean herself up.

The town was deserted, which was good. Annabeth wanted to stay as under-the-radar as possible, in case some soul decided to drag her to a hospital as an act of kindness, although going to the hospital was the last thing Annabeth wanted in this situation.

The angel switched out of her white tunic and sandals into a large blue sweatshirt and jeans. She pulled up the hood over her face to hide the damage. She kept her gaze on the ground.

That's why she didn't notice the figure approaching her until they crashed into each other.

Annabeth inhaled sharply as their heads bashed into each other. When their torsos hit, Annabeth almost screamed at the pressure on her wounds. She took a stumbled step backwards before tumbling backwards onto her butt. She heard a curse as the person she'd hit did the same.

Annabeth looked up, hoping to apologize, but the words died on her lips as grey eyes met emerald green.

_What is _he _doing here? _Annabeth cried mentally.

The person she'd crashed into was none other than Perseus, the demon who had run her through with one of his katanas only days before.

They both stared at each other with wide eyes and gaping mouths. Luckily, they both seemed equally as stunned, because, as Annabeth realized later, she had left herself wide open for an attack.

After she got over her initial supruise, she was able to look at the fallen angel more closely. The wicked sparkle that Annabeth had seen in his eyes as he'd toyed with them during the confrontation, now his eyes were only empty, even if they were wide with supruise.

In her surpruise, she almost didn't notice the large, gaudy necklace nestled against his chest.

Then, everything clicked into place.

She'd heard the stories: every demon given special attention by the Dark One, like Percy, ended up dead.

_So that's what he's so preoccupied with! _Annabeth decided. _He knows that he's going to die. _She couldn't help but snort. _So, maybe the bloodthirsty demon actually _does _have some feelings apart from hate. Well, it's just self-preservation, but still._

"Holy shit," Percy managed. He put his face in his hands and rubbed his face tiredly. Annabeth still hadn't reacted. She was frozen in shock.

"Look," Percy said finally. "I'm not in the mood for this, and it doesn't look like you are, either. You look like shit. If we fight now, you'd die. So let's make a deal: I'll go my way, you'll go yours."

Annabeth stared at him. Was he serious? There was no way. Annabeth was completely certain that if she agreed, she'd end up with a katana through her torso (again) as soon as she turned around to walk away.

"I'm being a hundred percent serious," Percy assured. Annabeth's eyes widened as she saw something in Percy's face that she never expected: honesty.

Annabeth snapped her mouth shut, her lips turning white from the force she held them together with. "Fine."

Percy rose, giving Annabeth an appreciative nod before stalking off.

Annabeth stayed on the ground for a long time after that, just thinking about what had happened.

**x x x**

"I swear," Annabeth argued, looking up at the three angels in front of her. "I saw him!"

Hylla, the leader of the Trinity, pinched the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger. "Let me get this straight. You just happened to run into Perseus, one of the Dark One's closest servants, and survived because he suggested that you both part ways without fighting since he wasn't in the mood."

Annabeth nodded sharply, clenching her teeth. She could tell that none of the Trinity believed her, not even Malcolm. Her brother was looking at her sympathetically, as if she had made a childish error.

"He had the artifact around his neck," Annabeth remembered to add.

All three of the Trinity frowned. They exchanged glances. That information helped to explain why Percy would avoid a fight, but still, the story was extremely unlikely.

"We'll talk to the Almighty," Hylla said finally. "She will be informed of this. Thank you, Annabeth."

Annabeth could hear the hidden meaning behind the angel's words: they were just humoring her. Annabeth gritted her teeth in frustration, before remembering that she couldn't let anyone see her angry.

She didn't understand why, but Annabeth had what she considered a curse: emotions. She could hate, she could love, she could become rebellious, bored, disobedient, or lethargic. Most angels had emotions, but they had a much, much smaller range: their feelings ranged included only mild irritation, submission, apathy, and mild pleasure. For Annabeth, though, every emotion she felt was that much stronger since she was an angel. She'd learned quickly to keep it hidden, not let anyone know, but it wasn't easy, especially when she just wanted to yell at someone. Having emotions meant you were different, and being different meant you were a threat. Most angels, Annabeth knew, would be wary of an angel that had the ability to be rebellious and defiant. Angels were meant to be loyal to the Almighty unconditionally.

What Annabeth didn't understand, though, was why she was like _this _when she was specially created by the Almighty, just like all the other angels. If it was anyone else, she could chalk it up to a mistake, but the Almighty didn't _make _mistakes.

_So why could the Almighty have possibly decided to make her like this?_

**x x x**

_edited aug 23, 2014 _

_review!_


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